Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 43787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
I roll my eyes, stepping back as she plops onto the bed, looking way too pleased with herself.
“Kelly,” I say, already knowing where this is going.
“What?” She shrugs, then stretches her arms over her head. “You didn’t tell me he was hot.”
I blink. “That’s Damian’s brother.”
She raises an eyebrow. “And?”
I shake my head, but a small laugh escapes me. “And that’s a whole mess I don’t have the energy to untangle right now.”
Kelly just smirks, tucking her legs beneath her as she leans forward. “Forget me for a second. You—you look different. And you’re in a biker’s bed. Wanna talk about that?”
I let out a breath, sitting beside her. “I think I’ve fallen for him.”
The words are out before I can stop them. Kelly blinks, processing, before a slow, knowing smile spreads across her lips.
“Oh, babe. You’re screwed.”
I groan, flopping back against the pillows. “I know.”
She laughs, nudging me. “Okay, okay, start from the beginning. What the hell is going on? Because last time I checked, you were avoiding men like the plague.”
I chew on my lip, staring at the ceiling. “It just… happened. I don’t even know when, exactly. I just know that when I’m with him, I feel safe. Like, completely safe. And not just because of all this.” I gesture vaguely around the room. “It’s different. He sees me, Kelly. And that terrifies me.”
She’s quiet for a second before saying, “Terrifies you, or makes you feel alive?”
I turn my head toward her, and she raises an eyebrow.
“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” she adds softly. “And if you ask me, it’s both.”
I don’t answer, because I know she’s right. Instead, I sit up, exhaling hard. “There’s something else.”
Kelly watches me carefully. “What?”
I hesitate, then decide there’s no point in holding back. “We have to stay here for a while. Damian—his club—there’s some shit going down, and it’s not safe for me to be anywhere else. That means you too.”
Her brow furrows. “Wait, hold up. Not safe, how?”
I push my fingers through my hair, sighing. “It’s complicated. But the guy I was hiding from? He found me. Damian and his club aren’t gonna let him near me, but they also think it’s best if I stay close for now.”
Kelly’s expression darkens. “Jesus, Ally. Are you okay?”
I nod. “I am now. But I needed you here. I needed someone who knows me—the me outside of all this.”
Kelly reaches for my hand, squeezing it. “Then I’m here. But, uh… just so I’m clear, are we talking danger? Like, should I be worried about stray bullets flying through the windows?”
I manage a small laugh. “No. Riot’s literally posted outside the door. I think we’re good.”
She hums, considering. “Okay. But if I’m gonna be stuck in a biker clubhouse for an undetermined amount of time, I’m gonna need details. Preferably juicy ones.”
I shake my head with a smile. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re in love with a biker,” she teases, nudging me. “So I think we’re even.”
My stomach flips at her words, and I don’t correct her.
Because deep down, I know she’s right.
After Kelly’s teasing fades into a comfortable silence, she flops back onto the bed beside me, arms stretched above her head, staring up at the ceiling like she’s already settling in.
“So, tell me,” she says lazily. “Are we talking full-blown biker babe future here? You gonna start wearing leather and riding on the back of Damian’s bike full-time?”
I scoff, but the question worms its way into my mind, planting a seed I don’t know if I’m ready to acknowledge yet. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
Kelly turns her head toward me, her smirk telling me she’s about to call bullshit. “Yeah, okay. If that’s what we’re saying I don’t secretly think Riot is hot enough for a one night stand.”
I raise an eyebrow, and she groans. “Fine, I maybe thought about it for like half a second.”
I chuckle, but my mind drifts back to her question. A future with Damian. What would that even look like? Before him, I never let myself imagine the future. It was always just about surviving the next day, the next week. But now?
I think about the way he looks at me, like I am everything. Like I’m not something broken or fragile but that I’m his. The way he touches me, so possessive, so sure, as if he already considers me part of his world. And I know, deep down, I’m already halfway there.
But it’s not just about the way he makes me feel—it’s about what kind of life I’d be stepping into. I’ve spent so much time running from chaos, and yet, somehow, I’ve found peace in the middle of it. Because with Damian, everything feels different.
I close my eyes for a moment, letting myself picture it.
Would I wake up in his bed every morning, just like today? Would I fall asleep to the sound of motorcycles roaring outside, knowing one of them was his? Would I get used to the roughness, the violence that comes with this life?